During the maggid portion of the haggadah, we recite Rabban Gamliel’s tripartite obligation of retelling our redemption from Egypt. Rabban Gamliel says one must refer to three symbolic elements of the seder: pesach, matzah, and maror. Pesach, as represented by the zeroa [shankbone], refers to the korban pesach [paschal lamb] that the Jews sacrificed in […]
Kadesh, urchatz, karpas…tzafun, barech, Hallel, nirtzah. Kiddush, washing, karpas…afikomen, grace after meals, Hallel… Many of us have been singing the steps of the seder for as long as we can remember – which is great if we want to remember what to do, but not so great if we want to think about why we […]
Dear Jew in the City- In the Haggadah, it states “Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that do not call out Your name.” Aren’t we supposed to be compassionate and non-violent? How do we come to terms with this difficult text? Best, Jocelyn Dear Jocelyn- Thanks for your question. The first thing one has […]
Dear JITC- Where does the custom of hiding the afikomen (and ransoming it, children from parents or vice versa) come from? Thanks, Lisa Dear Lisa- As you note in your question, there are different customs regarding how to play the afikomen game. In some families, the parents hide it and the children win a prize […]
Unfortunately, for too many kids (and adults), the seder evokes a sluggishly boring experience that lasts forever. Conversely, for many kids (and adults) poring over comic books is an exhilarating, addictive experience that they wish could last forever. But what if you could take the excitement from a comic book and inject it into the […]
The year was 2011, and I was an active duty medic for the United States Army deployed in Iraq. Being Jewish in the military was interesting at the best of times, and in the worst of times – while in an active war zone – it was exceedingly complicated. Keeping kosher in the military is […]
